Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system cabled connections, and more particularly to information handling system multiport power management.
Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems continue to shrink in size and grow in capabilities. Improvements in processing capabilities have allowed information handling system manufacturers to pack increased processing capability into housings of decreased size while increasing battery life with power savings measures. In particular, many end users appreciate information handling systems that have thin housings for ease of mobility and that have power savings logic and large batteries for increased operating times when external power is not available.
One difficulty faced by information handling system manufacturers when designing low-profile portable systems is providing the amount of power that processing components need when operating at full capacity. Often, portable information handling systems include powerful components that will draw current at rates in excess of the rates that an external power supply can provide. Power saving logic drives down current draw during idle operations, however, initiation of an application or hardware operation tends to spike power consumption and thus current draw in large variances that can occur unexpectedly. As one example, many tablet information handling systems powered by USB adapters cannot power up through a boot sequence without a battery charge to supplement external power.
Thin housings used for low-profile information handling systems present several difficulties for power solutions acceptable to the large power consumption variance that can occur. One difficulty is that power and communication connectors located along the housing edge have minimal space. In small tablet configurations, a single USB connector is sometimes used for both power can communication. Larger tablet configurations and clamshell/convertible configurations tend to have additional cable connections, such as a dedicated power connector and display connector as well as multiple USB and other data connectors; however, the housing edge space comes at a premium in thin solutions due to structural and electrical considerations. Even where a dedicated power connector is included, the space available for power management, such as capacitors to manage power surges, is minimal, as is the space available for a battery.
One recent trend that aids power management is the use of various peripheral ports to both send information and generous amounts of power. USB Type C connectors and ports, for example, may provide as much as 100 W of power. DisplayPort connectors and ports using a USB type of interface support similar power transfer amounts. In addition, power transfer is bi-directional so that an information handling system can provide power to peripheral devices or can receive power when interfaced with a device capable of providing power. However, since many ports have similar footprints designed to take minimal housing space, end users face some confusion regarding which port is appropriate for which cable. Further, an end user may not understand that a peripheral port is providing power to an information handling system or, in some cases, which peripheral port is providing power, so that the end user will expect similar performance at an information handling system as cables are inserted and removed. In fact, the availability of external power can impact the capability of processing components to operate at full capacity. Further, connecting and disconnecting external power in an unexpected manner can introduce unpredictable power surges that lead to system crashes or component failures.